Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2

Following a brief recap of the 2009 original, this computer-animated sequel picks up right after accident-prone inventor Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) has supposedly destroyed his Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator in order to save the planet from a disastrous (if also delicious) spaghetti and meatball storm. His island of Chewandswallow has been quarantined and evacuated for cleanup, so its citizens have moved to the big city of San Franjose, where frustrated Flint is invited by his childhood idol--eccentric and manic mogul/scientist Chester V (Will Forte)--to join The Live Corp Company, where the world's top innovators create technologies for “the betterment of mankind.” The problem is that Chester—whose new assistant, Barb (Kristen Schaal), is a bossy orangutan with a deviously manipulative human brain—has his sights set on world domination, and Flint's infamous food-replicating machine is, in fact, still operating, churning out a new ecosystem of edible food-animal hybrids called “foodimals.” So Flint, his fisherman father (James Caan), and friends (Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris) must cope with a menagerie of weird jungle mutants--such as tacodiles, watermelephants, hippotatoes, shrimpanzees, susheep, apple piethons, flamangos, and double-bacon cheesespiders with French fry legs--who have formed a delectable, self-sustaining gourmet utopia. Inspired by the beloved 1978 children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett, this weakly scripted but visually superb sequel from co-directors Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn serves up an energetic and often entertaining helping of family-friendly fun. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by directors Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, the behind-the-scenes segments “Production Design: Back in the Kitchen” (7 min.), “Cloudy Café: Who's On the Menu?” (7 min.), “Anatomy of a Foodimal” (6 min.), “Awesome End Credits” (6 min.), “Delicious Production Design” (5 min.), “Building the Foodimals” (4 min.), and “The Mysterious Sasquash” on the character (3 min.), the “La Da Dee” music video by Cody Simpson (and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette on the video), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are four mini-movies (22 min.), deleted scenes (3 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid sequel.] (S. Granger)